The Way of the Warrior

The way of the warrior sounds harsh, but only in an environment that has made many people, especially men, soft with years of promoting illusions and triteness. The warrior philosophy is simply the philosophy of war modified and adapted to apply to real life situations for those who find themselves alienated in a culture that places a great emphasis on banality. Sex, money, power, fame, all of these come relatively easy to those who are perfectly content with surface living: reality shows, amateur Internet streaming, even blogs are not immune. A quick survey of the wealth of information available online will leave one awestruck at the possibilities and dumbfounded to see so few venues offering anything but light hearted banter. And those for whom substance is king, where can they turn? Where can they gain much needed moral support? Their sanctuaries are limited.

For example, after 9/11 no one can go to an airport without hearing the warnings to notify authorities if one notices any unattended baggage. By now the reasons should be clear. It is a well known practice. However, if one takes security seriously and reports such suspicious activity, there is a great risk of seeming 'suspicious' one's self. This kind of absurdly upside down surreality is mind boggling to rational individuals. At best one encounters indifference toward attempts to be cautious, and whoever pushes the matter becomes the target for scrutiny. People whose minds still differentiate, integrate, evaluate, and act appear to others as threatening anomalies. Not only does this cause undue frustration, alienation, and discouragement, it sends a very clear message that strength, prudence, concern, and caution are irrelevant in today's setting.

Objectively, these are of course all very relevant. But the absurdity of it all creates a powerful internal conflict for a great many people for whom reason and common sense are still guiding lights. The poor reaction that a rational individual typically endures whenever he exercises any kind of reasonableness, is one of the primary reasons for the warrior philosophy. One must be prepared to stand alone for one's convictions as a soldier must stand alone on the battlefield even among comrades. Therefore, the strength and preparedness that the warrior philosophy advocates, are helpful for living in today's world most particularly when many cultural outlets seek to short circuit one's natural tendency toward self-preservation. Everywhere that one turns there is one authority or another proselytizing helplessness. One is meant to blank out and let others control his destiny and provide for his security. Life has become the great battlefield for rational individuals because so many people are hostile to reason and common sense.

The value of strength is an important aspect of the way of the warrior. A warrior must not only be physically strong, but mentally and psychologically strong. To see a demonstration read the survival manuals published by the U.S. Air force and the U.S. Army. A significant amount of time is spent in both publications discussing the mental aspects of survival. Coping with alienation and deprivation is one of the keys to combat survival. It also happens to be one of the keys to life success in today's climate. If one maintains a rational value system, one will have to learn to cope with the isolation that will inevitably follow from the conflict between a rational value system and the very popular emotionalism. To do that one must understand the way of things and cultivate values like strength, pride, tenacity, and conviction something made very difficult in today's climate without an independent point of view.